IN CINEMA
Thursday, October 9th at 7PM
CLAUDE McKAY from HARLEM to MARSEILLE
Matthieu Verdeil, A7production, 2021, 80 min.
claude mckay from harlem to marseille
matthieu verdeil
Matthieu Verdeil directed the first documentary devoted to the work and tumultuous life of Claude McKay, the Jamaican poet and writer. Punctuated with archival footage and readings set against swing music, the film is an incredible journey through the 1920s, from Marseille to Harlem, and on to Jamaica, Russia, and Morocco. It evokes the artistic avant-gardes of the early century that McKay encountered in New York with the Harlem Renaissance and later in Europe, the social movements he chronicled in England, and the political figures he met such as Trotsky. One comes away struck by the great freedom with which McKay moved through his era, becoming a forerunner of both literature and the Black cause.
Post-screening discussion and Q&A with director Matthieu Verdeil
General Admission $15 / Reduced Price $7
